Banded Together

It’s really important to follow your surgeon’s diet instructions after having your band placed. I’ve heard a lot of people say that they were surprised that they could eat this or that, because it wasn’t on the liquid diet following surgery.

However, that liquid diet is really important, because liquids won’t make your stomach squirm around under the band, and it has a much better chance of securing itself before you have solid foods.

So what are your secrets to surviving and thriving on the liquid diet?

Just because you can have something, it doesn’t mean you should have it. 

Prior to being banded you have to make the committment to follow the rules regardless of what hunger pangs come your way during the liquid phase.  Some doctors require 21 days of liquids, so in comparison the 7 days (if I remember right) required by the doctors of WLSC is a breeze. 

I kept a liquid drink of some kind in my hand at all times and sipped sipped sipped all day long.  During the clear liquid stage I pretty much lived on grape juice and bottled water with Crystal Light additives.  Liquid jello and chicken broth were not my thing.  As a lover of milk, I was in heaven during the full liquid phase.  A lot of people discover that they do not really have actual physical hunger the first few days after surgery.  My stomach would growl, but I never really felt hungry.  I think it was the day before I got to start mushies that I began to feel some hunger pangs.  The thing you need to be aware of during the liquid phase is head hunger - DO NOT GIVE IN TO IT!!!  I paid for my surgery and am still paying for it out of pocket, so when I had head hunger I just remembered how much money I was putting in to this process and that pretty much settled it for me.  I was not going to do anything to jeopardize my new tool and blow my money.

The liquid phase was not a dread as I was fortunate to have a great place in Springfield, MO to purchase some good, healthy liquid foods.  They were pretty darned balanced and kept the hunger pangs away as they contained good quality protein sources and some balance of carbohydrates.  I did not want to get into a danger zone of loosing my hair some weeks down the road by not having enough protein.  Luckily, I was familiar with the Healthy Weight Supermarket beforehand and had used some of the products there already.  I would suggest looking into finding a location that specializes in good quality products like that.  I found it very hard to find items at the regular supermarket that could really give me as many choices and taste as good with such high quality nutrition.

It’s not as bad as one may think. I just thought to my self for seven days I can do anything need be. This was my first post so it is kind of a test also.  Thanks Pat

I’m just now finishing up my liquid diet. It wasn’t as hard as I expected to get through the clear liquid stage because I didn’t have an appetite. Once I moved onto full liquids I have been getting hungry, but I can eat a small amount of soup and be fine. There are a ton of different soups that you can eat just the broth, but still get all the flavor. I like Jason’s Deli Vegetarian Vegetable soup. I didn’t eat any of the “stuff” in it, just the broth and it was really good.

I wouldn’t have thought to strain a chunky soup…great advice!

jenduffey81 - 19 May 2009 10:57 AM

I like Jason’s Deli Vegetarian Vegetable soup. I didn’t eat any of the “stuff” in it, just the broth and it was really good.

This reminded me of my first meal at Jason’s after being banded.  I was 2 days post op and still on clear liquids but my friends convinced me to go with them after church.  I ordered the chicken noodle soup without any noodles or chicken.  The guy looked at me kind of funny but agreed to do his best.  I think I only found one small chunk of chicken in the cup.  It was a rather expensive cup of broth, but I enjoyed the company I was with and that is what counted.

I’m at Day 5 post-op and I haven’t found the liquid diet that hard. Heck, there’s so much that feels different right now that the fact that I’m not eating like a person hardly even shows up on my radar screen.

I’ll say this, though. I’m really glad that WLSC doesn’t keep you in the clear liquid and full liquid diets as long as some other places, because at the end of the second day of clear liquid, I was feeling light-headed and sleepy.

So transitioning from that to something where you get yogurt(!) and pudding(!) was like heaven.